"Mhhm. Where am I?"
"You finally woke up."
"Old man? Wait, this isn't my room."
"You fainted, so I had to carry you to my house. Aren't you ashamed to call yourself a barbarian after making an old man like me carry you?"
Old man, my ass...
"Wait, I fainted? Why?"
"Your arm was bleeding, and it seems like you're also afraid of blood," the old man said, lying for some reason.
Caelen's face fell. He'd always been average, and he was fine with being called names.
But being scared of blood... even he couldn't call himself a barbarian after that.
"Old man, I think I don't want to spar anymore."
"Sigh... If that's what you want, I'll be glad. I won't have to look after you anymore. But be sure. Once you stop, there's no going back."
"I'm sure. I don't think I deserve the name barbarian—the strongest of all nations."
This was the best choice he could make.
He had tried. Harder than anyone. But even now, he couldn't forget the smirk Ral wore three years ago.
Fourth stage at fifteen... He could be at the fifth stage by now.
Ral had also trained. There was no shortcut to the top. But he hadn't trained half as much as Caelen did, yet he stood at the top.
He was the real barbarian.
Meanwhile, Caelen—raised by three legendary warriors—had achieved nothing.
Maybe it really would have been better if Ral had been the one given Caelen's chances.
"Eat before you go. And don't decide anything yet. At least wait until morning. We always say barbarians don't think—they do. But we're also not brainless beasts."
"Thank you, old man."
***
Caelen ate at the old man's house.
The old man lived alone, but he seemed to know how to cook.
His house was also big.
Well, not a castle or anything like that. Just a bit larger than the houses the other villagers had.
But Caelen couldn't stay here anymore. He needed to make a decision and start a new life.
If he left behind the path of the barbarian, maybe he could become the best farmer.
Was there even such a thing as the best farmer?
After leaving the old man's house, he started thinking.
If he put effort into something else, maybe he could be good at that.
Whenever he wasn't working, eating, or sleeping, he was training. So this would give him a serious amount of extra time.
Then again, he had spent a lot of time and effort becoming a barbarian warrior.
It wouldn't be easy—
"Pl-eas-e help m..."
Huh?
Caelen was only halfway home. He was passing through the forest between his and the old man's houses when he heard the sound.
"Hel-p me..."
"Who's there?" Caelen said, drawing his sword.
The village they were staying in was safe. There were no beasts here.
Not because the barbarians cared, but because their food was produced here.
Most of the villagers were either weak or disabled. They couldn't defend the place.
That's why the village was set in a safe location. Still, there could always be one or two that slipped through.
But Caelen was still a barbarian. He wouldn't run.
He slowly approached the source of the voice.
It was dark, and the forest made it hard to see.
But as he got closer, he could hear a faint, mumbling voice.
And then, something appeared.
"Who are you?" Caelen asked again, pointing his sword at the shape on the ground.
When he stepped closer, he could see it clearly.
There was a man lying there.
The man was old—much older than even the old man Caelen sparred with every day.
But he wasn't bulky. No, he was thin. His height was around 180, making him shorter than Caelen.
He had a long beard, and his face looked more stern. Barbarians usually smiled.
"Who are you?" Caelen shouted this time. But there was no response.
The old man only whispered, "Hel-p mee."
He couldn't even say it properly. It was just a sound, forced out with what little breath he had.
He wasn't saying it to Caelen either. He was just saying it. Caelen doubted the old man knew he was here.
"Shit!" Caelen cursed, putting his sword away. He lifted the old man onto his shoulder and immediately noticed how light he was.
Caelen didn't know anything about healing. Most barbarian cities had healers for warriors, but this village didn't need one.
And even then, the healers never really felt like barbarians. Caelen knew that the Crest of War didn't grant healing powers.
At least not for healing others. So, there was no reason to ask around to find a healer.
The only option was to bring the old man home and figure out what was wrong.
He hurried, not even thinking about whether he might hurt the man more. He hadn't been taught things like that as a barbarian.
But the old man held on. When Caelen entered his house, he laid him down on the sofa—it was the closest spot.
Under the house's light, he got a better look.
There were scars all over the man. Some deep, some light.
But the most dangerous thing—the one he hadn't noticed before—was that the man had only one leg.
Wait, there's blood. A lot of it. Am I going to faint now? No. I can't. If I do, this man will die.
He had to stay conscious.
The first thing he did was try to stop the bleeding from the ripped-off leg. It was cut just below the knee, so Caelen tore a piece of cloth and tied it above the wound.
He knew this much. Every barbarian did. Just because they didn't fear injury didn't mean they didn't patch themselves up after a fight.
If anything, they knew more about it, since they got hurt more often.
But that wasn't enough. The wound was still open. He knew that was dangerous. So, he did the only thing he could think of.
He grabbed a pan and started heating it.
He waited until it turned red-hot.
Then—
He pressed the glowing pan to the man's leg.
First came the sound, then the smell. Caelen nearly threw up.
But the old man didn't wake. Or maybe he did and just didn't have the strength to scream.
Caelen dressed the rest of his wounds, then stumbled outside, breathing hard.
His breathing was so loud, anyone nearby would've been scared.
He spent at least half an hour out there.
If the old man was dead, he was dead. Caelen didn't trust himself enough to check.
But after half an hour, when he finally forced himself back inside, he saw the old man was still alive.
His breathing was far from normal, but it was better than when Caelen had found him.
And he was definitely asleep now. Or maybe unconscious.